Aeroplane.



.A, KREMER. AEROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. H 1911- 1,266,490.Patented May 14,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. KREMER.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1911.

1 26A9o Patented May 14,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

as I Jwuewfoz N A. KREMER.-

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11. 1911.

Patented Mayl i, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

- tain the aeroplane in the proper controlled ALFRED KREMEB, 0F MOUNTPLEASANT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR- OF ONE-HALF TO LEO 1. KELLER,'OF MOUNTPLEASANT, PENNSYLVANIA.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 11, 1917. Serial No. 190,799.

ments in Aeroplanes, 'of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes The primary object ofthe invention is to PI'OVldB in an aeroplane, a top plane, a part ofwhich is formed by two side subplanes, which with said plane form a flatsurface, but which may be tilted to mainposition.

4 provide a pair of sub-planes whichnormally form part of a top plane,held in-normal fiat position by springs,;meansbeing pro-.

vided for tilting one sub-plane against the tension of the springs, andsimultaneously freeing the opposite sub-plane to permit the air to tiltthe latter sub-plane upwardly to balance the machine when in flight.

A furher object of the invention is 'to provide means for separatelycontrolling the sub-planes to balance the machine in flight, and toprovide means-for simultane-- ously tilting said sub-planes. to form agreater air resisting surface to, steady the machine when. making'alanding or when.

coasting.

The invention also comprehends improve ments in the details ofconstructionand arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter describedand particularly. pointedout in the claims. a

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved aeroplane, the motorand many of the ordinary operatingappliances, and the usual braces being omitted,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing one of the sub-planes til-tedupwardly under the influence of the air,

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, showing the sub-planes tilted, A v

Fig. 5 is a detail cross section of the hinge connection between thesub-plane and the top frame,

6 is a similar view showing the spring connection,

Patented May 14,1918.

' Fig. 7 is a detail view of -the control lever.

1 indicates a frame; 2, the upper member thereof; and 3, thelowermemberz.

The lower member3, is substantially T- sha e in plan view, and is'provided with a orward plane and platform 4, and a rear elongatedplane5-.- The upper memher 2, is substantially T-shape in plan view,

wardly, toprovide a-widened surface at the extreme rear, for a purose-to be described;

Hinged-to the edges 7 of the frame member are flat side sub-planes 8'8,-the outer edges of said sub-planes inclining rear- A further object.of the invention is to' wardly and inwardly toward a medial line drawnthrough the center. of the upper plane. The forward wide ends of thesubside-planes fit behind the transverse front 7 portion of the upperplane, while the narrow rear ends terminate substantially in'a tal planewith the upper plane 6.

It follows from the construction thus far described-that the upper plane6, and the side sub-planes normally present a flat surface, the edges ofwhich taper rearwardly.

10' indicates a standard rising from the platform, and at its upper endit is provided with a socket-bearing 11.

therefrom is a lever 13. Mounted on a pin (not shown), extending fromthe lever -13, is a drum 16, having a hand wheel 17.-

Cables 20, are oppositely wound around the drum, and extend in oppositedirections. These cables pass over guide pulleys 21, and up to theforward outer corners of the side sub-planes. From the cables 20, abovethe guide pulleys 21, extend branch cables 22, which are attached to'the rear outer corners of the sub-planesg to equalize-the pull on thesub-planes when tilted against the tension of the springs.

Mounted in the socket bearing is a ball 12, and depending To the lowerend of the lever 13, are secured the ends of two cables 23, which passguides, and are attached at their opposite ends to the cables 20. Thenormal position of the lever 13, is inclined as shown in Flg. 1, atwhich time the two branch cables 23,

are slack to permit of the cables20, tilting but one of the sub-planeswhen the drum is rotated. If it be desired to tilt both subplanesdownwardly, as shown in Fig. 4: the

I drum isrotated to restore the planes to their normally horizontalposition, in which position they are maintained by the springs.

' Then the lever 13 is titled forwardly to neutral position which takesup the slack in the. cables 23, and upon further movement pullthejournals thereof are'upper and lower arms 27. From the upper armsextend cables 28, which pass over guides 29, and are attached to a lever30, pivoted to the platform. Extending from the lower arms 27, aresimilar cables 31, which extend over guides 32, and

are attached at their ends to the lever 30, below the pivot thereof.Obviously by operatingthe lever 30 the horizontal rudder is tilted tosteer the machine either up or down, as desired.

At the rear of the machine is a pivoted vertical rudder 35, andprojecting from the rear thereof are extensions 36, and attached to theextensions are cables'37, the forward ends of which are attached to afoot lever 38, pivoted on the platform.

The exact position of the control levers, and the specific constructionemployed are not shown in the drawings as it is deemed sulficient toillustrate the features conventionally, and it is evident that thelocation of the levers can be at such points as may be found mostconvenient.

As previously outlined the fundamental features of this invention residein the construction and arrangement of the flat subplanes and means foroperating them.

When flying, if it be desired to steady the machine in rounding a curve,or if a sudden air current should strike one side of the upper plane,and it is necessary to offer greater air resistance on one side toretain the place of the machine under control, the drum 16 is rotated,and one sub-plane is tilted downwardly, somewhat like a birds wing,while the cable connected to the opposite sub-plane is slackened.Immediately this cable is slack, the air current acting on the underside of the sub-plane is tilted upwardly against the tension of thesprings, which promptly reduces the air resistance on that side. In thisconnection it is to be noted that the air current acts to raise thesubplane to reduce the resistance, while the opposite sub-plane ismanipulated by the operator.

y feet control of the operat r, as the positive movement of but one sub.plane acts to limit the movement of the companion sub-plane under theinfluence of the air current. Of course the tilting or ,manipulating ofthe sub plane is for the purpose of steadying or balancin the machinewhile in flight, and under .or inary circumstances the sub-planes aremaintained in horizontal position to present with the top plane 6, aflat horizontal surface. a

If in descending, or'for any other reason it be desired to tilt bothsub-planes downwardly simultaneously to vofi'er a greater resistance tothe air, the drum must first be this means the machine is underp'erreturned to normal position to position the sub-planes in a planewith the plane 6. Then vthe lever 13 is-moved forwardly, toapproximately a vertical position to take up the slack in the cables 23.Uponfurther forward movement of the lever 13, pull is exerted on the nowtaut cables, and the subplanes are tilted downwardly on their hinges, inwhich position they afi'ord a greater resistance to the air, andtherefore retard the speed of the machine idownwardly. From theforegoing description it is evident that the sub-planes not only act toretain the machine in balance when rounding a curve or when encounteringa sudden air current, but in addition to this function the planes can bemanipulated to afford a greater resistance than when necessary forordinary flying, to facilitate descent or making a landlng.

Of course the vertical and horizontal rudders are employed and used inthe same manner as in ordinary aeroplanes, for which reason it is notdeemed necessary to descfibe their operation. They are butconventionally shown, as theymust necessarily be .employed in connectionwith my improved sub-planes.

By flaring the upper and lower main planes to provide greater airresistance surface at the rear of the machine, it follows that when thesub-planes are tilted the air is trapped with the result that increasedresistance is provided, and a more ready and convenient means forsteadying the machine is produced.

What I claim is I 1. An aeroplane comprising, a transverse sustainingplane, a longitudlnal sustaining plane arranged rearwardly of the transverse plane and disposed in the plane thereof, sub-planes arranged uponthe opposite sides of the longitudinal plane in the rear of thetransverse plane and adapted to be arranged in the plane of thetransverse-- plane, means pivotally connecting the longitudinal edges ofthe sub-planes with the v naeaeeo longitudinal edges of the longitudinalplane so that said sub-planes are adapted to be swung transversely ofthe longitudinal plane, a pivoted lever, a drum pivotally connectedwiththe lever, a cable connected with the sub-planes and wound upon thedrum to alternately swing the sub-planes downwardly, and meansconnecting the lever with the cable for simultaneously swinging thesub-planes downwardly.

2. An aeroplane comprising, a transverse sustaining plane, alongitudinal sustaining plane disposed rearwardly of the transverseplane and having rearwardly diverging longitudinal edges, substantiallytriangular sub-planes arranged outwardly of and near the rearwardlydiverging longitudinal edges of the longitudinal plane, said sub-planesdecreasing in width rearwardly, means pivotally connecting thelongitudinal edges of the sub-planes with the longitudinal edges of thelongitudinal plane so that the subplanes are adapted to be swungtransversely of the longitudinal plane, a pivoted lever, a drumpivotally connected with the lever, a cable connected with thesub-planes and wound upon the drum to alternately swing the sub-planesdownwardly,v and means connecting the lever with the cable forsimultaneously swinging the downwardly,

3.- An aeroplane comprising, a transverse sustaining plane, alongitudinal sustaining plane arranged rearwardly of the transverseplane, sub-planes arranged upon the opposite sides of the longitudinalsustaining plane and pivotally connected therewith to be swungtransversely thereof, a pivoted lever, a drum pivotally connected withthe lever, a cable connected with the sub-planes and wound upon the drumto alternately swing each sub-plane downwardly, and means whereby thesub-planes may be simultaneously swung downwardly by the movement of thepivoted lever.

4. An aeroplane comprising, a transverse sustaining plane, alongitudinal sustaining plane arranged rearwardly of the transverseplane, sub-planes arranged upon opposite sides of the longitudianlsustaining plane and pivotally connected therewith to be swungtransversely thereof, a standard, a

sub-planes lever provided near its upper end with a universal connectionwith;the standard, a drum pivotally connected with the lever near itsupper end, a hand-wheel connected with the drum, a cable connected withthe sub-planes and wound upon the drum to alternately swing eachsub-plane downwardly, and means connecting the lower portion of thelever with said cable so that said lever may serve to simultaneouslyswing the sub-planes downwardly.

5. An aeroplane comprising, a transverse sustaining plane, a lon tudinalsustaining plane disposed rearwar ly of the transverse plane and havingrearwardly diverging longitudinal edges, sub-planes hinged to therearwardly diverging longitudinal edges of the longitudinal plane andlongitudinally tapered and decreasing in width rearwardly, saidsub-planes having outer longitudinal to assume .upper positions in theplane thereof, said sub-planes being longitudinally tapered anddecreasing in wldth rearwardly and having outer longitudinal edges whichconverge rearwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis of thelongitudinal plane when the sub-planes are in the upper position, theforward portions of the sub-planes serving to pocket the air, whichdischarges from the rearwardly converging longitudinal edges thereof inincreasing velocity rearwardly, when the sub-planes are lowered, andmeans to swing the sub-planes to the lowered position.

edges of the longitudmal plane and adapted In testimony whereof I aifixmy signature.

ALFRED KREMER.

